Putin and the elders

 

- This stuff is getting boring,
maybe it´s time to go to Moscow again?

Russia claims to fight the war in Ukraine in order to "de-Satanize" that country. The links below (which may or may not tell the truth) suggest a very different story. Maybe somebody else´s backyard is up for some de-Satanization!

I guess we just got the answer to the question: How would Russian culture look like if it would get rid of its Western pseudomorphosis? Which presumably includes both Peter the Great, Communism and American-style capitalism. Now we know. It´s a combination of Third Rome Orthodox mysticism and Mongolian shamanism. 

Color me surprised.    

Putin´s fixation with shamans

Putin and the Sorcerer´s Stone

Red swastika

 

Not entirely confirmed, tbh, these pieces from the outer fringes of Wikipedia show Communist swastikas!

The flag above was (supposedly) used by the Tuvan People´s Republic 1921-26, while the badges below are from Kalmyk Red Army formations in 1919. 

Tuva and Kalmykia have "Tibetan Buddhist" populations, the swastika being a sacred symbol in Buddhism.  

From Tuva with love

And now, the real story. Tuva isn't an independent state, but a "republic" within the Russian Federation, i.e. it's still part of Russia. Tuva was nominally independent 1926-44, but then it was Communist. Bogus postage stamps from Tuva are a virtual growth industry, and even have their own entry at Wikipedia! 

Apparently, some ostensible "Tuva stamps" show unlikely Tuvan subjects such as Bart Simpson and the Teletubbies. My guess is that Airedale Terriers are pretty unlikely inhabitants of a Russian-Mongolian border region, as well. But hey, I don't mind. 

I think bogus stamps are great fun, as long as you know what you're getting, and the price isn't too extortionate. I used to buy "stamps" like these at the local supermarket as a kid! Therefore, I give this product (probably made in Britain) five stars anyway. But don't tell me I didn't warn you.

A strange trade

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the international market has been virtually flooded by bogus stamps from various non-existent “independent states” in the ex-Soviet area. Most of them, apparently, are really printed in Britain. Often, the bogus issue is easy to spot, with the name of the “independent republic” spelled out in Latin letters, rather than Cyrillic. The motives on the stamps are often unrelated to the places they are supposedly from. Thus, the small Russian-Mongolian border region of Tuva has supposedly issued stamps showing African giraffes, Bart Simpson or Sylvester Stallone!

In order to give the bogus stamps an air of authenticity, they are often shipped to the region of their supposed origin, where underpaid post clerks wanting to earn some extra money applies the correct postmarks to the product, and sometimes even envelopes with fictitious addresses. I wouldn't be too surprised if the stamp shown on this product page is also of that character.

Do I mind? Well, maybe a little bit, but not awfully much. As a kid, I was actually actively looking for bogus stamps, usually Clive Feigenbaum's Nagaland sets. Not to mention Staffa! But sure, if you are a collector (or the Tuvan official responsible for the authenticated gift shops), you might find this strange trade somewhat irritating…